Get me to Nice (via the Alps, with some gravel thrown in) cycling adventure

 

 

The start of the trip has been much gentle than all of our trips. We flew to Geneva on a late flight and we were supposed to drag the bike boxes on the midnight train to Annemasse, sleep there, assemble the bikes in the morning, then cycle 66km to St Gervais les Bains, second day to Beaufort, then to Moutiers on Monday.

Then we checked the forecasts and saw rain until Monday, and we thought, why do we need to go through this when we can sleep by the Geneva airport and get a train to Moutiers on Saturday, chill out on the rainy Sunday, and do one of the many climbs from Moutiers on Monday? And so we did.

The flight was surprisingly only 1h late and by 9pm we already had the boxes delivered in 1 piece. The hotel shuttle was basically waiting for us, we stored the bikes securely while we slept like 2 logs (that day we both woke up at 5am and went for our last cycle to the Pentlands, then I worked until 1pm before the journey).

On Saturday we went to the boulangerie down the road (breakfast at the hotel was €50...) then assembled the bikes with no stress, cycled the 3.5km to the Geneva train station, got a snack while waiting for train n.1 to Aix les Bains in the 29 degrees heat. The train was packed full, cyclists everywhere with just 6 spaces available, but as by magic somehow, somewhere, we all fitted in. We then had 4h to kill in Aix. At the end it didn't even rain, so we got a salad and went to eat it at the park, while the mosquitoes were eating us...

Assembling the bikes outside the hotel

The second train to Moutiers was at first empty, then in the next stop a surreal amount of people, and bikes, got in. All packed full, again, no idea where all the bikes got stored. When we got off in Moutiers at 6.20pm the sky opened and we got soaked in the 5min it took us to reach the Savoie Hotel. It kept raining all evening but we managed to get to the huge Carrefour to get our dinner.

On Sunday morning it was pissing down like there is no tomorrow. We took it easy, got our €15 (each) breakfast, then went to the tourist information office to see the cycling routes for Monday, got a map at the newsagent (and CBD!!!), then to the Carrefour which kindly provided lunch and dinner.

Stuck in the hotel room in Moutiers while the sky comes down

After lunch the sun came out so we went for a stroll, thinking we'd walk the path that Annibal with the elephants walked centuries ago... only to find out that the path is actually an amazing cycle path going along all the valley to Albertville!!! And it's not marked in any of the maps we have, nor the lady mentioned it at the info office. Oh well, at least we know where to go on Tuesday on our way to Col de la Madaleine.

Resting before even getting started

And foraging of course

 

Our first hotel in Moutiers

Tomorrow at the end we are aiming to Col de Tougnete, at 2434m. It may be a bit too much for the first day (2000m positive elevation...) but now we are really keen to get moving, let the adventure start!

 

Moutiers - Naves circular, 55km 1338m up
Monday 19 August

Well, at the end Col de Tougnete was not meant to be. We woke up with low clouds but we knew the day would get better. We got our breakfast at 8am sharp and I stuffed myself as much as I could. Not only for the climb, but for principle at having to consume the €15 we were charged each: croissant with jam, apple cake, bread and scrambled eggs (I never eat them but oh well), bowl of fruit and yogurt and 2 coffees.

All charged up we set off on a busy road and turned into a quieter one shortly after. The climb started there, despite a sign saying the road was closed at some stage. It was not too steep and the legs felt great, like I really missed cycling in the Alps. After a few km and at least 200 m gained, a car stopped us and the man said that the road was closed as there were works further up with big lorries and a few days before a lady cyclist had to be lifted by helicopter as she crushed against a lorry and since then they closed the road. We turned back and at the bottom there was now a barrier...thank you. It would have been helpful to have had that in the first place.

It would have been nice if that was there when we started the climb, grrr..

We turned back to Moutiers, stopped at the Carrefour to get bread and cheese as we doubted we would have found something on that way. We got in the cycling path we walked yesterday and at Agueblanche we started a 16km climb up to a place called Naves at 1500m. The road was super quiet and the clouds were lifting with us, but the top mountains were all covered (it was much worse in the direction we were originally planning to go, there you go!). Yet, I enjoyed climbing immensely, like finally we were back on (low) gear.

At the junction to go down we saw a road going up, but no signs. We checked the map and saw it lead to a Rifugio higher up on gravel. We followed the road up until it turned into gravel and there there was a nice space with toilet, benches and a trampoline duly tested.

What's all the fuss about?

2 min later....it's fun!!

It was noon and we would have eaten there but it was quite chilly with the sun coming and going, so jacket on and we started the descent. I didn't realise how steep those last 2k were, it turns out they were 10%... At Naves we stopped at a bench and had our sandwich. Then the long descent to rejoin the cycling path where we took off the jacket as it was quite warm in the valley!

Back to Moutiers we went to pick up our bags as we moved to an apartment, with a nice and weird, like more weird than nice, lady who only speaks french but we kind of understand each other. The place is falling apart (I think I understood the building is from the 16th century and they are renovating it bit by bit). There is also a tiny and hairy old dog and apparently 2 parrots which we haven't met yet.

After a shower and some much needed washing we raided the store and bought way more that we need, but oh well, tomorrow is a big day and we need to get ready. Bring it on!!!

St Michelle de Maurienne - 81km and 1900m up

Tuesday 20 August 

The good news is that we left Moutiers, the bad news is that we ended up in a much worse town! But, at least we finally got started and did a pass never climbed before: Col de Madaleine, and what a pass it was!

We woke up early in the weird flat so to eat an abundant breakfast (the toaster blew the fuse). Well charged up we set off at 7.40am with a blue sky, both very happy to finally saying goodbye to this sad village.

Our second accommodation in Moutiers, the place is falling apart but is nice

We headed to the well known cycling path until Notre Dame de Briancon, enjoying the flat 9km in the morning chill. From there the huge climb started: 25km in total marked by the very welcomed km marks (with elevation and average gradient!).

It started steep, 8 to 10%, passing by the sign to a town called Pussy... The going was slow but somehow the km passed fast and the traffic was slow. Thankfully it was cloudy but I was still sweating buckets. "To waterfall" is now a verb. It was not too busy and we could see we were gaining elevation which always provides a sense of satisfaction.

At km 14 we reached a village called Cellier (the first of 5 with the same name but slightly modified, French are weird, and definitely very confusing!) and stopped to eat a pain au resin, which went down wonder.

It was still cloudy and I was getting a bit chilly, but the clouds were lifting and after a few km, when it started to open up, the sun was out and we could admire all the beautiful mountains...even the Mont Blanc! That was a surprise and kept my eyes busy away from the odometer.

We got a couple of km of grace, which means the others were steeper, but slowly slowly at 11.20am we reached the top. I really missed the feeling of exhaustion, satisfaction and beauty at reaching a hard earned pass. Duly we took the "pass" pictures, slightly spoiled by some shouty motorcyclists. Out of all the categories of people they are those I despise the most, can we just ban them?? ...dream on.

Have you seen that??? It's the Mont Blanc!

Despite all the food I ate I was still hungry and snacked at the old cheese sandwich. Paul had a bit of an indigestion and we were hoping for a coke but they only sold glasses, so we moved on and started the descent. The plan was to go down a few km and take a gravel road up a pass and then down the Lacets de Montvernier, but somehow we missed the turn and by the time we stopped at Longchamps we were 2.4km and 200m down...no way I go up!

It may have been for the best as it turned out to be a long day anyway, and we are definitely not used to the sun either! We ate our lunch (more cheese sandwich) and kept going down a beautiful and scenic descent that we both enjoyed a lot, until we reached the bottom at La Chambre. We wanted to stop for a drink but couldn't find any nice bar, so we moved on and shortly after found a big shop where we got a pear and a cold drink.

The place where we realised we missed the turn. Def lunch time!

By then it was really hot, but I missed this so much that I won't complain. We reached the place from where we could see the Lacets, which truly looked amazing, but then I guess the challenge would be to climb them, not to go down, so I felt in peace with myself.

There were cycling signs pointing to St Jean de Maurienne and we followed them gladly. At 2.30pm we were there and stopped at a square for more snacking and drinking. We popped in the tourist information office to ask if there was a cycling kind of road marked to St Michelle but she had no clue...

It turned out that there was something of the kind, but it was a shoulder by a big and busy road. Honest the last 11km were horrendous. Busy with fast and heavy traffic, hot as hell, dusty, windy, going up. I thought the traffic would deviate at some stage but no... this village is a total mess!

We stopped a while to recompose ourselves, went to the awful store and finally it was time to check in to yet another weird place, like really weird, but then all this town is kind of shit. Paul told me we stayed here before when we did the route de Grand Alpes on our way down from col de Galibiers. I must have removed it from my memory but it definitely resurfaced when we arrived.

The other news is that tomorrow the road to Modane is closed and we need to follow a deviation that will add 200m of elevation, and we are not even sure if the Mt Cenis one is open but oh well, the adventure keeps on, I'll just be glad to leave this place!

Still can't believe it was my only pizza for 2 weeks!

Susa - 83km and 1643m climb
Wednesday 21 August

We are in Italy!!! I slept very well (amnesia...) and woke up with legs decently ok too, ready for another day on the saddle and sun.

Despite all we ate yesterday Paul woke up at night hungry and ate a bar. We thought having an abundant breakfast would be a good idea... I stuffed myself as I could and that brought me to km 42 with 800m climbed... very good decision, and I think I'm putting on weight instead of losing it but oh well, sometimes it's better to play safe.

We left the weird hotel at 8.20am, and I promised I'll never set foot in At Michelle ever again. Thankfully we have now climbed all the Cols from there so unless we go insane there is no reason to.

We were on a big road but at least there was a shoulder for cyclists, which was very welcome as there were big lorries around, and way too many cars for that time of the day. The road climbed gently to start off with and I didn't even bother to put on the arm warmers. We were supposed to follow it all the way to Modane but there were works and the deviation to St André added 2km and 200m of climbing, it was steep! We also paid off our debt for missing the gravel road the day before.

Thank you deviation for adding 200m of climbing to what was already a climbing day!

 

Lanslebourg, the pictures don't make it justice

By the time we rejoined the main road we were in Modane and stopped to get our lunch and coke. Sick of cheese sandwich we opted for a pouch of barely and quinoa and an avocado. No more cheese please!!!

All packed we kept going on that awful road which was getting busier the farther we went. Why??? To get out of Modane there was also a massive climb, followed by a descent...why??? At least the mountains were beautiful to look at, but all the way to Lanslebourg at km 42 was kind of hell with all that traffic.

Lanslebourg was the prettiest town we passed through since we started this trip. We stopped in the centre for a break, I got my pain au resin that again went down great, and realised that up to then we already climbed 800m on what was supposed to be a flattish road...

It was 11.30am and we started the final 10km push to Mt Cenis. The gradient was in between 6 and 8%, we had a shoulder for cyclists, the trees were providing shade, suddenly we got views of a mountain with a huge glacier, and all the traffic mess of before was forgotten!

The day before we were in a bit of a panic as Paul's app didn't let him plot the route to Mt Cenis, so we thought it was closed like the other outside Moutiers. Thankfully just a false alarm (I find this all very confusing...)

We reached the pass at 12.40, but it's a bit of a weird top as it went on for 10km by a big lake, with splendid views everywhere. We found ourselves a place in the middle of that stretch of road and enjoyed the scenic lunch. The avocado was the best ever, and still so glad it was not cheese!

 

At 2pm we said goodbye to that piece of heaven and set off for a very long descent. It was so hot that we didn't even put on the shell. I loved that descent immensely, not many hairpins, smooth tarmac, warm wind in the face and not even that busy. Can I do it again??

 

We reached Susa shortly before 3pm and spoiled ourselves with the first ice-cream if the trip. The melon was so good that I'm still tasting it...

We are at the Hotel Napoleon, for bikers and cyclists. The staff has been super nice and although the room is so and so (not even drinkable water, we went to fill in all our bottles to the fountain in the square) I have good expectations for breakfast.

For dinner we went back to the same place as last time we were there, but as a welcome chance I got tagliatelle with mushrooms... delicious and quite an abundant portion too! We then strolled around the old town to digest and sat at a bench to look at the mountains in their pink evening dress. So glad we got back there. On the way back to the hotel I met the lady who owned it who was on a rant with all the Italian red tape (aka the legalised mafia), who can blame her??? We both slept sound.

you must love Italy, who cares about all the VIP bullshit when you can just have food magazines?

 

 

Briancon - 70km and 1400m

Thursday 22 August

Another beautiful, sunny and hot day! We are definitely getting into the rhythm of the trip. After 4 days of climbing the quads and glutes are a bit tired but still going and no major pains (the Garmin - aka God - said Paul's power output today was 230, apparently me less as I weight less, I call this misogyny).

We took advantage of the early breakfast at 6.30am (THANKS!!) to leave early and beat traffic and heat. We stuffed ourselves again: croissant with jam, bread with jam, bread with eggs, cereal with fresh fruit, yogurt, juice and 2 cappuccino. I still wonder if Paul is worried that I don't eat enough...

We got the bikes from the deluxe bike garage (definitely outnumbered: 25 motorbikes and 5 bikes) and left Susa at 7.30am, not before filling in the bottles again at the fountain.

As a change the day started with a steep climb, just a few km up to a town called Gravere that definitely woke me up. From there it was kind of flat, more bumpy like, until Chimonte, and many lorries passing us by, not as busy as yesterday but I could have done with a few less. Then the second 6km climb started and it was quite steep in places but thankfully it felt a bit quieter with the traffic. We stopped at a bench at Exilles for a little rest and then pushed to Oulx where we went to the tourist info office to ask about the conditions of the climb to Col Di Scale, as we knew it was narrow and we were not sure how busy. She described it as the less of the evils... meaning motorbikes would normally go to Mt Cenis and lorries couldn't go up there.

We went for it and started on the 11km to Bardonecchia, in a beautiful valley of the flat/bumpy kind.

We reached the village at 10.30am and went to the shop to get a pastry and our lunch. The village was quite nice and views on the mountains just beautiful.

We stopped at the train station (there are trains to Turin it turns out) to eat our snack and coke, and at 11am we got started on the last 9km climb to the col. There were many cars, and in places it was steep (13%), and it was hot, but somehow it passed fast (thanks Col de la Madaleine!) and we loved stopping here and there to get pictures.

At noon sharp we reached the top, which was in the forest so not many views but at least we could celebrate the end of the climbs. We kept going on the road that passed through a very long meadow where everyone was having a picnic (that's where all the cars were going!!). We then reached the proper top, like the one with the sign, and a Dutch guy was kind enough to take a picture of us. He cycled up there with his Dutch bike to escape from his family...who can blame him??

noon sharp, check us out!

 

because it's always time for stretching

We wanted to stop for lunch but couldn't find the perfect place, so we started the descent and at some stage it opened up and it was wow!!

We reached another road and went down to a small village called Plampinet, where we got our bench in the shade by a fountain and enjoyed our pouch of grains and avocado, I feel spoiled.

We thought from there it would be freewheeling to Briancon but we had a strong headwind and it was kind of flat / going down so it turned out to be hard work. Still, we reached destination at 2.20pm and checked in the best apartment, the lady was so welcoming!

We finally washed our clothes, went for an ice-cream, to the tourist info office to check the train situation on Saturday, then to the train station as they had no clue. There it was a bit of a comedy of the wtf kind, as the guy couldn't sell us the ticket (although we were reassured there is a train at 8.25am, which is not a bus, but you can't book them) and sent us to the machine to buy them insty. Turns out la machine ce ne marche pas, so he did sell them at the end (can't buy from the website either...why??)

Anyway, back to the flat now is relax time, on the balcony with a nice breeze and the best view of the mountains. Tomorrow we'll take it easy and recharge for the next leg of the trip, and maybe I even manage to shave my hair!

 

 

 

 

 

 

we couldn't have found a better place to chill out

 

 

 

Briancon day off
Friday 23 August

What a beautiful day off, possibly the last one with full sun and proper heath, at least I enjoyed it to the full!

We had a leisurely start and a late breakfast at 9am (don't think it ever happened before, but we did stay up until late to watch Amelie), then we walked up to Cite Vauban via the park, it was the perfect temperature but the sun was already getting hot. We strolled around and stopped at the park on the way back for more chilling out. Then I shaved my hair (=it will get cold soon), trip to the store, lunch finished after 2pm, by which stage we realised we really had to do something to fill in the afternoon. While waiting for me at the hairdresser, Paul spotted a cable car going up to Prorel. We didn't want to do too much so to let the legs rest, and that ticked all the boxes.

Off we went and at 3pm we were catapulted into heaven, I honestly didn't expect to have such a 360 degree panorama of huge mountains from there. We walked the 30min to the Sommet du Prolel and stopped there a good while in complete awe. I could have stayed there all day but here we are back to the flat enjoying a proper summer. Ready for leg 2 of the trip?

 

 

Maljasset - 46 km and 1605m
Saturday 24 August

It was sad to leave the cosy apartment, but the show must go on and the day was another success and filled with surprises!

We woke up at 6.30am to get the 8.25am train (it existed!!). We had a nice breakfast, got sorted and finally got to meet Stefan, the host, to return the keys. Really nice chap, a very solar person who we will hopefully meet again (I wouldn't mind spending a week there so to climb a few more roads and explore those beautiful mountains).

We got to the train station at 8am and got to chat to a couple who was very interested in gravel bikes. The woman has done a lot of touring (camping sauvage... don't know why it makes me laugh so much!) and was asking about gravel bikes.

It was the train to Marseille and a good one, like with proper space for the bikes and super comfortable, and not even many people during the 30 min we were on it.

We got off in Mount Delphin, 3 km from Guillestre, and from there the long climb started: 19 km to go up to Col de Vars at 2109m. The start was brutal, like really steep, but this means we were gaining elevation quickly and soon we got beautiful views on the valley below. I remember cycling down years ago and looking at it in awe. The only bad thing was the traffic, so many cars and motorbikes. At least at times we had a bit of shoulder, and after 10km the views opened to another valley and that kept me well entertained.

that bag was getting bigger and bigger

We stopped in one of the many Vars villages to eat our apple pastry, which again went down great. Half way through the climb I almost finished all the coke... From there the next few km flattened a bit, passing through so many little Vars villages. There were 2 other cycle tourers that we kept crossing and we finally got to chat with them in the bigger Vars village, the one with the shop and the bakery. We all got some food at the bakery and sat outside discussing bikes and routes (Paul saw them the day before in the square while waiting for my haircut...). From Germany they were going to Avignon, and today they were planning to camp up the Col de la Bonette...good luck to them!

Energies recharged it was 6km to the top, thankfully with gentler gradients and magnificent views.

We reached the top at noon and it was packed with motorbikes, so we decided to start the descent and stop further down for our lunch.

After 10km of descent we reached St Paul de Ubaye and stopped at the same square where we stopped years ago. This time it was more lively and sunny, and we enjoyed our grains and avocado mix in a bench in the shade.

Best lunch solution, and no more cheese sandwich!!

It was hot but we set off for the last 13km, which were probably the best of the day as the road was quiet and with a decent gradient. We stopped multiple times to drink, and to admit a really dramatic stone bridge.

The going was internationally slow as we had to kill time, the views were getting better and better and we started meeting loads of hikers, as it turns out we are on the GR5 route.

We reached destination at 2pm and went for a blueberry tart at the Rifugio, which was packed full already. Then for a stroll to check out the path for tomorrow and we layed down on a bit on the grass, I could have slept there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then checked in at 4pm in Les Zeles, another weird place but with a lot of Nepalese character. I really liked it, many paintings and statues, all in wood, the insects love the flowers, and we are currently sitting outside waiting for the 7pm aperitif.

The pre aperitif surprise was the 6pm trovador / clown show at the Rifugio, totally unexpected and quite entertaining despite the fact that we understood close to nothing (it was a love story that I understood). Very nice ambience and a lot of engagement.

Back to the hotel the aperitif was very pleasant too, we were the only foreigners but for once they took pity on us and spoke English! There was a couple of old people (one was 74!) who were hiking, and all the others were hiking too. We were adopted as the weirdos...and all their faces when we said we would hike up the col with the bikes!

Dinner was pleasant, we got the Nepalese rice, spinach, potatoes and lentils soup and chocolate cake for dessert, all vegan, and the cherry on the cake was the chia tea with oat milk that went down wonder. We stayed up a bit to check out the books (one all on donkeys!) and then we walked out to see a sky packed full of stars, a very good omen for the day to follow.

The village is a bit on the hippy side but so pleasant to stay

A book all on donkeys??? yeah!

Acceglio, 27km and 600m
Sunday 25 August

Paul has always been a bit apprehensive about this day, but it has been one of the best! Being a Sunday we didn't want to be in the busy roads, and we couldn't have been more far away from the traffic.

We had an early breakfast at 7am, basic but filling, and the muslie was delicious.

We got sorted and at 8am we left, to the amusement of the old couple who was also out for their day hike.

We started on the road and shortly after it turned to gravel and the pushing started. It was only 6.5km to the top and we took it easy. It was a bit rocky to start, and the occasional bit to carry the bikes, but overall it was so pleasant in the morning quietness, not a soul around, stunning views everywhere, crying marmots, even 3 donkeys. We reached the pass at 11.30am and enjoyed it to ourselves for a good half an hour.

 

The face of the people in the hotel when we said we would push the bikes up...that gave us a good hint on what was to come!

 

 

this is not for show, I totally cycled it all!

 

The highest post box in Europe

 

Regrettably we started the descent at noon, the views were stunning, like from another world. A few people coming up but not many. It was 4km of more pushing down to where we joined the gravel. We had our lunch there, that we bought at the Rifugio for only €11 each: huge veggie wrap, plus a boiled egg, biscuit, apple and some mini focaccia. We still have half of it for tomorrow...

The gravel bit down to Chiappera was steep and stony, by far my less favourite bit, but shortly we got to that village which was a gem, like well kept, stony homes, cheerful and just a pleasure to walk around with the majestic setting on its back. We stopped at a bar for a lemon soda (me asking to the lady: is this Chiappera isn't it?), checked the village and then down to Acceglio on an empty road.

Arrived in Chiappera, really nice village

 The Hotel delle Marmotte is a bit of a disappointment, like a step close to be a cemetery, either physically for the age of the residents, or mentally dead alive... For the price we are paying (€180 a night 1/2 board) they could at least have a TV ..but that said there is absolutely nothing in the village. We were hoping dinner and breakfast would be good and abundant, but dinner consisted of 5 tiny courses: a small kind of terrine, a cold bean soup, a few ravioli that didn't taste of much, a slice of a nice litter spinach tart with peppers and some local dessert. We started at 7.30pm and were done at 9.15pm...in time for bed, at least we both slept great!

Acceglio - Passo (2400m) and Rifugio Gardetta - 22km and 1340m up
Monday 26 August

We woke up glad we didn't have to pack or cycle. At breakfast there was no croissant nor cappuccino, all was set up so to eat as little as possible, but we still managed to staff ourselves (I did...). That gave me all the energy to start the walk, which turned out to be the most pleasant.

The first 5km was along a perfect path in the woods passing by beautiful hamlets, so well kept and welcoming all the way up to the hamlet of Viviere where there was a Rifugio / hotel. The road would finish there and most people drove there to start the climb. Why god knows as the path was just perfect.

We kept going on the path and where still in the woods, but we could start to feel we were gaining ground by the look of the mountains around. The clouds were gathering but mostly on the side where we came down the day before. Not many people around, up we kept going, past a farm then in proper mountain ground, with a few machine gun nests scattered here and there, reminding us of sad past times, and how stupid people are (I guess by now nature figured out it's not worth investing in the brain, evolutionary it's a dead end). Just before we reached the top we passed a few groups of people, one of which was the people having breakfast by our table. What are the odds?

Getting to a Coll it's always a priceless moment (in 2h 30min sharp!!) more so if on the other side there is the little Peru in all its glory, and visible!!

Part of the reason why we came up this way was to check the Rifugio on the other side, as we will cycle up there tomorrow from Ponte Marmora, and as a back up plan in case tomorrow it's cloudy (the main reason of this trip was to get there, as we didn't when we did the Turin Nice 2 years ago...).

We stopped to take in the surreal views and then we walked down to the Rifugio. It was too early for lunch as they started serving it at 12.15pm (but we were assured that also tomorrow they will have pasta with pesto) so we got a delicious strudel and lemon soda. Paul must have been hungry as by the time I had 2 bites he finished it all, usually it's the other way round.

A man on a mission....

....strudel!!

For the first time ever Paul finished the strudel before I even got started!

The forecasts predicted thunderstorms from 3pm, so we started to retrace our steps at noon. We stopped again at the col, and as we started the descent we met a German guy on a gravel bike, whom we saw before climbing from the other side. We had a nice chat, it turns out he is doing the Turin Nice and was in his day off, we all laughed at the memory of the infamous Strada dei Cannoni. He was very nice and chatty so we told him a storm was coming and we had better head off. Really nice meeting him!

The guy we met got cut off by the panorama, too bad!

Down we went again with the clouds starting to gather everywhere. The descent was quick and at 1.30pm we reached the nice Rifugio Viviere and stopped there for lunch. Paul finally got his polenta with cheese (it was days he was looking forward to eating it, and it was actually delicious!) and me I was very happy with the cold pasta with veggies, which was equally great. Can't believe how well we are eating in this trip compared to when we did the Turin Nice, when all we had was pizza, cheese and bread!

Somebody is very happy with his polenta and melted cheese...

as if I'm not relaxed enough!

We left full and happy, and just before we started descending I spotted 2 huge birds in the sky climbing on a thermal...we think they were 2 bearded voltures, and curiously one of the many of the local flora and fauna signs which were scattered along the path, right there, was about the bearded volture, who pairs for life...it must have been them!

Along the way was also a big bunch of donkeys in a field with the babies, honest that path was great! I thought it was flat but going down we realised we climbed quite a lot!

I promise there are a couple of dots in the sky!

Map of the Valle Maira

We reached the hotel at 4pm in time for the first rain drops to come down. Usual washing and get sorted, we finally ate the boiled eggs that we dragged from Maljasset, and checked the route for tomorrow... it's going to be a long climb!

Now waiting for dinner, we should really bring a book there while waiting for the courses... 4 days of cycling left, bring them on!

Dinner amazingly took 10min less then yesterday, and at least I enjoyed the chickpea burger and roasted potatoes. Bad news the group sitting next to us were complete dicks, shouting and just really looking like dicks, good news tomorrow we are out of here!


Demonte - 55km, 1461m up
Tuesday 27 August

Today was full of surprises, unfortunately not of the good kind, but somehow everything worked out fine.

First thing we checked the forecasts and there was heavy rain expected from 10 to noon, indeed it was raining when we went down for breakfast but stopped shortly after.

Given we saw the little Peru the day before (thank goodness!) we decided to take the paved road up to Passo Fauniera, to pay our respects to the Pirata. We could always get on the high gravel route that we would miss from the top and cycle half of it we thought. This sounded like a good compromise.

All good then, and off we went at 8.45am on a chilly morning down the quiet road for 7km until we reached the junction at Ponte Marmora. The start of the climb was steep (the jacket came off pretty quickly) and in 5 km we reached Marmora. The road was narrow and steep, but incredibly quiet for an alpine pass. I didn't dare say it loud but I was wondering were all the motorbikes were.

The first 10km were snaking up a forested territory, with very steep bits alternating flatter ones. At one of the steep bits Paul's chain snapped...ops He removed a couple of links and off we went, until it snapped again shortly after. Another link off and that was him on single speed all the way to the top, without being able to put in any power for fear it would snap again, at which point we would really be fucked...

The nice surprise along the way was the shepard coming down with sheep, big doggo and the puppy who looked like a teddy bear, that made my day.

the cucciolotto guapo...

I also tried our luck by asking a few guys and a girl (who really liked my bike) from a hut if they happened to have a spare chain... No luck but they were very sympathetic. We kept going, the higher the better the views. Finally we reached the first Col, Passo d'Esischie at 2364m. Nobody around, weird. We then kept going another 1.5km to reach Col Fauniera at 2480m, the one with the monument of Pantani.

Heading to Col number 2, Colle della Fauniera

There we got the other surprise, and the reason why we met nobody all the way up...the road to go down the other side was closed due to works, even though we didn't get any warning sign anywhere up to there!!! Thankfully right there we met a group of enthusiastic German hikers who came from that direction and said it was just a short bit and we could pass by by lifting the bikes... really well timed given we met nobody all day, and it was also lunch time so the workers were probably having lunch.

The moment when we realised why there was no traffic...

try harder! :)

We took a few pictures and headed down an amazingly scenic road, but really narrow and broken up (all the road up there was in a poor condition, thank goodness the road was closed or I can just imagine the mess of cars and motorbikes!).

At the end it was just a 50m bit with 2 excavators, wide enough for one of them and us walking with the bike, that were blocking the road, and nobody around. We sneaked through amazed at the fact that at no stage there was a sign warning of the closure, just right where it started... bloody Italians! Equally we were amazed at out luck with the road been closed or it would have been an endless hell of letting everyone pass.

We reached the other side, checked the views and started a long descent on a pretty shitty road. The main danger was the abundance of chilled out marmots who were crossing the road, priceless!

I'm that dot, that's how big the place was!

still can't believe how lucky we have been

At 1850m we saw a few cyclists outside what we thought was a place selling cheese but it turned out it was Rifugio Carbonetto. It was 1.30pm and time for lunch. We stopped for some tagliatelle that I wolfed down and explained our situation to the guys there. There was no WiFi but they were kind enough to let us use their mobile to help us find a bike shop and the bus timetable, honest all people we met were so kind and helpful.

We kept descending forever (Paul still with one gear, this time a hard one so on the occasional bump he was relying on momentum to get to the top, it was quite comical...black comedy really! As we descended it was getting warmer (it was freezing on the top with no sun and the wind).

We reached Demonte at 2.30pm and checked in our apartment which is a bit poor in terms of what it has to offer, but we just really got a shower and went to the bus stop to get the 4.30pm bus to Borgo St Dalmazzo, 30 min away. At the stop we met a young girl who confirmed the bus existed and helped us get off at the right place. She was an intern at a tourist information office and had to catch 4 buses a day to get to work, for free, this slightly sounds like exploitation to me...

We got there at 5pm, walked 15 min to the bike shop, got the chain, walked back, rewarded ourselves with an ice cream, got the 6.05pm bus back, went to the shop, got back home at 7pm, changed the chain, cooked and had dinner, then I got the message from the apart in 2 days saying check in would be at 6pm instead of 3pm, so we cancelled it and now we have to rethink the last 2 days. But it's past 9pm, I'm dead tired, tomorrow we have another long col, and we will sort this out tomorrow. I'm done for today! Really hope tomorrow it will go smoother...


Isola 2000 - 37km, 1575m
Wednesday 28 August

The bad luck seems to have left us alone, but I shouldn't speak too loud one never knows!

The apartment in Demonte was not that great but at least we both slept like logs and had a good breakfast to set us off for the day.

We left at 8.15am and only had 1km on the main road, good stuff as the lorries passing there were huge, still can't believe that the main road to France passes right in the heart of the village...glad I don't live there!

We then got on a secondary road and it was kind of flat with a few minor climbs for the first 10km. The sun was shy but it was very pleasant in the morning chill and quietness.

At km 12, at 9am, we reached Pratolungo from where the 22km climb started. The tarmac was much smoother than the day before, and the road marginally wider, but it climbed relentlessly and steep! The average gradient is supposed to be 6.7% but at least the first 5km were a good 10% with no breaks. The good news is that it was not too busy, hopefully people have finished their holidays...

At km 10 we stopped for a snack, without sun it was quite chilly up there so we moved on fast, and got sweaty straight away with the endless hairpin climbs. The views were starting to get better and we could see the progress by looking down at all the bends done already.

We then got to the junction to a sanctuary and from there the traffic definitely declined, but god it was steep!

We got up quickly with the crazy gradients and finally over the last 6km we could see where we were heading to. I didn't find the views as spectacular as in the previous days but I can't really complain. We stopped to take pictures here and there, especially the last 3km when the gradient finally eased. We reached the col at 11.40am and we're welcomed by the statue of a huge ibex in carnival mode.

That's the sanctuary, that looked so high up from below!

that sticker looks familiar...

It's from a New Zealand guy we met in Switzerland, the world is small!

We had our pastry while looking down at Isola 2000, our day destination, just a few km down the valley. We then walked around to check the barracks, and on a path to the other side. We then had our cheese/tomato sandwich (no chance of finding the pouch of grains in the Carrefour in Demonte!) and finally headed down to Isola, to find out the check in is not at 2pm but 4pm...I hate booking.com!

Last time we cross the border into France

 

Totally my copy

Good news is that we could chill in the lounge with free coffee and drinks, and it was warm as outside without the sun it was quite cold. We also found out that the apart we cancelled is not the one in St Vesubie but Nice!!! At least we got time to book another one by the airport which will actually make our life much easier!

That place also sold crisps with the tartiflette flavour...definitely catering for French people!

Isola 2000 is a very artificial place built for skiing in winter and general entertainments in summer. It's mostly hotels and we think we were the only foreigners there. At least the hotel was good (TV, coffee machine and a good balcony). We found out there is also a well stocked store and got all the goodies there for our dinner, that lasted 1h...I think we are getting used to the French and Italian times.


St Martin de Vesubie - 30km, 500m up
Thursday 29 August

We woke up with a cristal clear sky, the promising start of a great day. We knew the day would be short in terms of km so we took our time for breakfast (finally croissants and cappuccino), and then prepared our lunch bowl with quinoa, lentils, beans, peas, eggs and tomato (I guess we are getting enough proteins).

Shortly past 9am we set off on a MTB road which was steep beyond believe = pushing up. It was only 2.5km to reach the top, Col Merciere at 2342m (you work out the gradient). It was heaven up there, not a soul around, sunny and peaceful and peaks and rocks everywhere. It was not even 10 am so we decided to walk the 15min up to Tete Merciere, at 2491m, and that was so worth it as we got 360 degree view of all the mountains around, possibly even the little Peru area we came from. It felt like to proper farewell to the mountains. Who knows when we will be back to the Alps? We stopped for a while to take in the views and then reluctantly we headed back to the bikes.

Board explaining the MTB circuit

I think I made a point that we have no bikes nor skills for that!

Another farawell to the mountains

From there it was a descent on dubious gravel (= I walked most of it), during which one of Paul's soles got detached... Good stuff he had some glue and that kind of worked out. The next 10 km consisted of a mixture of kind of cyclable stuff but mostly rocky which required pushing , both up and down. I actually enjoyed it as we were in a pine forest sheltered by the sun and with lots of butterflies. We only met a few hikers, which was good as they were the kind that you know a road can't be that far away.

Another tiny problem...sole detached! thanks glue :)

At 12.30am we stopped to eat our bowl of stuff, and it went down so well! Can't believe how well I ate in this trip compared to the others. I managed 1 pizza only and 3 cheese sandwiches, all the rest was proper food!

Off we went again and after another minor climb we got on cyclable gravel, which took us to the final col: Col de Sasses at 2003 m. We stopped in the shade and then realised it was quite chilly up there. There was a bit of breeze and the clouds were gathering so we started what felt like an endless descent. In 10km we dropped 700 m but it felt more than that. The road was kind of once was tarmac and in a very bad shape so we took it extra easy. We passed by many parked cars, despite not seeing a soul...who drives up there, and where were them!?

Memories of the flood of 2020

We then reached a restaurant by a lake, Le Boreon, and stopped for 2 lemonades and a bowl of chips, all for just €8.50, and that that it looked super posh. We put on the shell as it was chilly, but shortly after we started the last 10k of descent it came off as we started to boil. We arrived at destination at 3pm sharp and were so pleasantly surprised by the village. It's a super cute one, of the type with small alley of cobbles, nice center and many little shops.

We checked in our apartment, got washed (let's not mention the washing machine shall we Paul?) and headed out straight away to the village to enjoy the heat and the atmosphere (and a huge ice cream).

Our cute balcony

€5.50 of ice cream, but worth it.

After dinner we went out for another stroll, it was still warm and the village was even more beautiful with it's evening dress. We decided to stop here just because it was the only place we could find some accommodation, we really had no idea it would have been so pretty!

Can't believe tomorrow it's our last day. Everything has been so varied, beautiful and weird (generally very confusing in France, and nothing makes sense in Italy) that I can hardly put it all together in my head, but better focus on the last stretch to Nice where we will officially celebrate.

Nice, 60km and 74m up
Friday 30 August

We made it!!! We are officially done with the cycling, the bikes are packed and now we can finally celebrate the end of yet another great trip.

We woke up early and left at 8am sharp, walking the bikes up the alleys to the square from where we got on the main, and only, road down the valley.

It was quiet to start off with and extremely pleasant to sit while freewheeling down the perfectly paved road, and with the views of the valley unfolding below below hills that were getting lower and lower. As we descended the traffic increased, but we basically spent 35km going down, with a few bumpy bits, and passing through a dramatic gorge. We spotted a couple of cycle tourers going up, they look energetic and definitely on their first day!

We think he was a stray, very scared but with good eyes, if only we had a trailer...

Let the long descent start!

We then got on a perfect cycling path by a river, the sun came out and it was already hot. I enjoyed it immensely as it was empty and really perfect, but nothing lasts forever and eventually it ended 10km to destination. We were then on a messy road and finally found the first and only bar where we got a coffee to charge us up.

We then found another gravel cycling path who led us to the airport. Overall the entrance to Nice was less traumatic that last time, but also less scenic as we got to the airport without even seeing the sea.

As usual it was a bit of a mess to find how to get to the terminal 2 but after a few failed attempts finally there we were. We got the boxes (€38 each!!!), packed the bikes, left them to the storage place, went to eat another bowl of grains and veggies, and then to the hotel.

Now time to go end enjoy town! We walked all the way to the port, got an ice cream (€6.50 each...), then falafel dinner and walked back by the Promenade des Anglais, in time for sunset. Can't think of a better way to end this trip.

No, it was not all like this, but nice while it lasted!

We made it to Nice again!!

It happened to be the Critical Mass night

Leaving early in the morning

The bikes were the last to board the place, but they made it!

Thanks kind taxi driver for being a tetris master!

Tot stats:
Km cycled- 544
Elevation gained- 12,095m

We only had one mechanical, no injuries and not even saddle sore. We got back without being ruined, for once we didn't overplan and used the spare time to explore places and deal with the occasional wemmy.... We can't be happier with what we have done and seen!